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 The marshal and party pushed forward
during the night, the country being more favorable. When morning came they
had covered many a mile, and it was believed they had made time, as the
trail seemed fresher. There were several ranches along the main stream in
the valley, which the robbers had avoided with well-studied caution,
showing that they had passed through in the daytime. There are several
lines of railroad running through this valley section. These they crossed
at points between stations, where observation would be almost impossible
either by day or night. Inquiries at ranches failed on account of the lack
of all accurate means of description. The posse was maintaining a due
southwest course that was carrying them into the fastnesses of the main
range of the western continent. Another full day of almost constant
advance, and the trail had entered the undulating hills forming the
approach of this second range of mountains. Physical exertion was
beginning to tell on the animals, and they were compelled to make frequent
halts in the ascent of this range.
The fatigue was showing in the two
younger dogs. Their feet had been cut in several places in crossing the
first range of mountains. During the past nights in the valley, though
their master was keeping a sharp lookout, they encountered several places
where sand-burrs were plentiful. These burrs in the tender inner part of a
dog's foot, if not removed at once, soon lame it. Many times had the poor
creatures lain down, licking their paws in anguish. On examination during
the previous night, their feet were found to be webbed with this burr.
Now, on climbing this second mountain, they began to show the lameness
which their master so much feared, until it was almost impossible to make
them take any interest in the trail. The old dog, however, seemed nothing
the worse for his work.
On reaching the first small park near
the summit of this range, the pursuers were so exhausted that they lay
down and took their first sleep, having been over three days and a half on
the trail. The marshal himself slept several hours, but he was the last to
go to sleep and the first to awake. Before going to sleep, and on arising,
he was particular to bathe the dogs' feet. The nearest approach to a
liniment that he possessed was a lubricating tube for guns, which he
fortunately had with him. This afforded relief.
It was daybreak when the pursuers took
up the trail. The plateau on the crest of this range was in places several
miles wide, having a luxuriant growth of grass upon it. The course of the
robbers continued to the southwest. The pursuers kept this plateau for
several miles, and before descending the western slope of the range an
abandoned camp was found, where the pursued had evidently made their first
bunks. Indications of where horses had been picketed for hours, and where
both men and horses had slept were evident. The trail where it left this
deserted camp was in no wise encouraging to the marshal, as it looked at
least thirty-six hours old. As the pursuers began the descent, they could
see below them where the San Juan River meanders to the west until her
waters, mingling with others, find their outlet into the Pacific. It was a
trial of incessant toil down the mountain slope, wearisome alike to man
and beast. Near the foot-hill of this mountain they were rewarded by
finding a horse which the robbers had abandoned on account of an accident.
He was an extremely fine horse, but so lame in the shoulders, apparently
owing to a fall, that it was impossible to move him. The trail of the
robbers kept in the foot-hills, finally doubling back an almost due east
course. Now and then ranches were visible out on the mesa, but in all
instances they were carefully avoided by the pursued.
Spending a night in these hills, the
posse prepared to make an early start. Here, however, they met their first
serious trouble. Both of the younger dogs had feet so badly swollen that
it was impossible to make them take any interest in the trail. After doing
everything possible for them, their owner sent them to a ranch which was
in sight several miles below in the valley. Several hours were lost to the
party by this incident, though they were in no wise deterred in following
the trail, still having the veteran dog. Late that afternoon they met a
_pastor_ who gave them a description of the robbers.
"Yesterday morning," said the
shepherd, in broken Spanish, "shortly after daybreak, four men rode into
my camp and asked for breakfast. I gave them coffee, but as I had no meat
in my quarters, they tried to buy a lamb, which I have no right to sell.
After drinking the coffee they tendered me money, which I refused. On
leaving, one of their number rode into my flock and killed a kid. Taking
it with him, he rode away with the others."
A good description of the robbers was
secured from this simple shepherd,--a full description of men, horses,
colors, and condition of pack. The next day nothing of importance
developed, and the posse hugged the shelter of the hills skirting the
mountain range, crossing into New Mexico. It was late that night when they
went into camp on the trail. They had pushed forward with every energy,
hoping to lessen the intervening distance between them and the robbers.
The following morning on awakening, to the surprise and mortification of
everybody, the old dog was unable to stand upon his feet. While this was
felt to be a serious drawback, it did not necessarily check the chase.
In bringing to bay over thirty
criminals, one of whom had paid the penalty of his crime on the gallows,
master and dog had heretofore been an invincible team. Old age and
physical weakness had now overtaken the dog in an important chase, and the
sympathy he deserved was not withheld, nor was he deserted. Tenderly as a
mother would lift a sick child, Banks gathered him in his arms and lifted
him to one of the posse on his horse. To the members of the posse it was a
touching scene: they remembered him but a few months before pursuing a
flying criminal, when the latter--seeing that escape was impossible and
turning to draw his own weapon upon the officer, whose six-shooter had
been emptied at the fugitive, but who with drawn knife was ready to close
with him in the death struggle--immediately threw down his weapon and
pleaded for his life.
Yet this same officer could not keep
back the tears that came into his eyes as he lifted this dumb comrade of
other victories to a horse. With an earnest oath he brushed the incident
away by assuring his posse that unless the earth opened and swallowed up
the robbers they could not escape. A few hours after taking up the trail,
a ranch was sighted and the dog was left, the instructions of the Good
Samaritan being repeated. At this ranch they succeeded in buying two fresh
horses, which proved a valuable addition to their mounts.
Now it became a hunt of man by man. To
an experienced trailer like the marshal there was little difficulty in
keeping the trail. That the robbers kept to the outlying country was an
advantage. Yet the latter traveled both night and day, while pursuit must
of necessity be by day only. With the fresh horses secured, they covered a
stretch of country hardly credible.
During the day they found a place
where the robbers had camped for at least a full day. A trail made by two
horses had left this camp, and returned. The marshal had followed it to a
rather pretentious Mexican rancho, where there was a small store kept.
Here a second description of the two men was secured, though neither one
was Peg-Leg. He was so indelibly marked that he was crafty enough to keep
out of sight of so public a place as a store. These two had tried
unsuccessfully to buy horses at this rancho.
The next morning the representative of
the express company left the posse to report progress. He was enabled to
give such an exact description of the robbers that the company, through
their detective system, were not long in locating the leader. The marshal
and posse pushed on with the same unremitting energy. The trail was now
almost due east. The population of the country was principally Mexican,
and even Mexicans the robbers avoided as much as possible. They had,
however, bought horses at several ranches, and were always liberal in the
use of money, but very exacting in regard to the quality of horseflesh
they purchased; the best was none too good for them. They passed north of
old Santa Fe town, and entering a station on the line of railway by that
name late at night, they were liberal patrons of the gaming tables that
the town tolerated. The next morning they had disappeared.
At no time did the pursuers come
within two days of them. This was owing to the fact that they traveled by
night as well as day. At the last-mentioned point messages were exchanged
with the express company with little loss of time. Banks had asked that
certain points on the railway be watched in the hope of capture while
crossing the country, but the effort was barren of results. In following
the trail the marshal had re-crossed the continuation of the first range
of mountains which they had crossed to the west ten days before, or the
morning after the robbery, three hundred miles southward. There was
nothing difficult in the passage of this range of mountains, and now
before them stretched the endless prairie to the eastward. Here Banks
seriously felt the loss of his dogs. This was a country that they could be
used in to good advantage. It would then be a question of endurance of men
and horses. As it was, he could work only by day. Two lines of railway
were yet to be crossed if the band held its course. The same tactics were
resorted to as formerly, yet this vigilance and precaution availed
nothing, as Peg-Leg crossed them carefully between two of the watched
places. Owing to his occupation, he knew the country better by night than
day.
Banks was met by the officials of the
express company on one of these lines of railroad. The exhaustive amount
of information that they had been able to collect regarding this
interesting man with the wooden leg was astonishing. From out of the
abundance of the data there were a few items that were of interest to the
officer. Several of Eldridge's haunts when not actively engaged in his
profession were located. In one of these haunts was a woman, and toward
this one he was heading, though it was many a weary mile distant.
At the marshal's request the express
people had brought bloodhounds with them. The dogs proved worthless, and
the second day were abandoned. When the trail crossed the Gulf Railway the
robbers were three days ahead. The posse had now been fourteen days on the
trail. Banks followed them one day farther, himself alone, leaving his
tired companions at a station near the line of the Panhandle of Texas.
This extra day's ride was to satisfy himself that the robbers were making
for one of their haunts. They kept, as he expected, down between the two
Canadians.
After following the trail until he was
thoroughly satisfied of their destination, the marshal retraced his steps
and rejoined his posse. The first train carried him and the posse back to
the headquarters of the express company.
Two weeks later, at a country store in
the Chickasaw Nation, there was a horse race of considerable importance.
The country side were gathered to witness it. The owners of the horses had
made large wagers on the race. Outsiders wagered money and livestock to a
large amount. There were a number of strangers present, which was nothing
unusual.
As the race was being run and every
eye was centered on the outcome, a stranger present put a six-shooter to a
very interested spectator's ear, and informed him that he was a prisoner.
Another stranger did the same thing to another spectator. They also
snapped handcuffs on both of them. One of these spectators had a peg-leg.
They were escorted to a waiting rig, and when they alighted from it were
on the line of a railroad forty miles distant. One of these strangers was
a United States marshal, who for the past month had been very anxious to
meet these same gentlemen.
Once safe from the rescue of friends
of these robbers, the marshal regaled his guest with the story of the
chase, which had now terminated. He was even able to give Eldridge a good
part of his history. But when he attempted to draw him out as to the
whereabouts of the other two, Peg was sullenly ignorant of anything. They
were never captured, having separated before reaching the haunt of Mr.
Eldridge. Eldridge was tried in a Federal court in
Colorado and convicted
of train robbery. He went over the road for a term of years far beyond the
lease of his natural life. He, with the companion captured at the same
time, was taken by an officer of the court to Detroit for confinement.
When within an hour's ride of the prison—his living grave--he raised his
ironed hands, and twisting from a blue flannel shirt which he wore a large
pearl button, said to the officer in charge:
"Will you please take this button back
and give it, with my compliments, to that human bloodhound, and say to him
that I'm sorry that I didn't anticipate meeting him? If I had, it would
have saved you this trip with me. He might have got me, but I wouldn't
have needed a trial when he did."
Added February, 2007
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